Welcome to The Noctrium. Feel free to wander the dusty corridors of my dark art gallery or surrender your imagination to the pages of my ghost stories. Above all, enjoy your stay—and if you feel an icy touch on your back, fear not; my spectral tenants are friendly…for the most part.
Fear is one of the hardest things to provoke in writing. Just flip through the pages of any ghost story anthology; how many of them are genuinely scary? It takes more than tortured groans and rattling chains. Anyone can throw gore at the reader and call it a day, but the art of raising goose […]
The latest episode of the Scary Stories Told in the Dark podcast features Swamp Children from the Noctrium Library, along with three other frightening tales by other authors. You need a patron’s account to hear the full episode, including Swamp Children, but you can listen to the first half of the episode for free. Scary […]
Roy’s hand dripped over the chalice. Crimson drops made black in the dimness, echoing as they mingled with the blood of everyone else who had preceded us. “What the—” I began, grabbing for Roy’s arm to pull him back, but he shoved me away. “I don’t even feel it anymore. Besides, it’s a small price […]
It’s the last thing I see before falling asleep. That wisp of shadow cast upon my bedroom wall. I always wonder what’s doing the casting. It can’t be the ceiling fan, it’s the wrong shape for that—but next thing I know my alarm’s ringing and the night is over. I instinctively glance at my phone […]
Welcome to Hallowdale John and Anna thought Hallowdale would be their salvation. Lost and low on fuel, they came to the lonely valley looking for nothing more than directions and a gas station. What they found was the dark history of a place that doesn’t easily give up its prey. This book contains not only […]
The Kindle edition of Pages of Dust: Volume 3 is currently free to download! This sale lasts through Friday, September 22. Volume 3 includes some of the most terrifying stories from The Noctrium Library, including: Unit 319 The Babysitter The Angels of Karkwood Seize this opportunity to add these frightening tales to your personal collection! […]
I’ve worked here so long, I can’t even remember why I took the job anymore. But nights like this, I imagine it must have been the music. I came from the city, that much I remember. The city. Noisy. Not like here. In this stone shed, there are only the cries of coyotes, owls, and […]
Do you know that feeling when you’re lying in bed, with the covers pulled up and your legs stretched out, and your feet seem impossibly far away from the rest of your body? It’s a very vulnerable sensation. That’s why I always sleep curled up like a fetus. It happened when my family moved to […]
When I bought the land, the only structure on it was this tiny stone shed. It was lashed to the ground by crooked saplings and overwhelmed by weeds. There were no windows, just a single square door all boarded up. My plan was to knock the thing down so I could use the space for […]